Hi Rafal
Rafal K:
For some time now I hear a sound in my head, something like "siiiiiiii..." It's always there when I look for it and every time I am relaxed (I can't tell if it was there before I started my practice). I've tried to focus on breath meditation, but somehow I feel like I should focus on this sound. Have you ever heard about this or know some practice involving this?
I get that sound, too. I sometimes use it as a meditation object. Like you described it so well, there is a lot to explore (vipassana!) and it can also be an object for pure concentration (samatha).
When concetrating on the sound all kind of weird shit start - pressure all over the head (different places, most common between the eyes) visualizations, sound dissapearing - loosing object (dont know what to do then), sound changing to many tunes at once, changing tones etc. I never feel "at ease" doing this.
Pressure in the head: with me at least, that's a sign I'm straining too hard in concentration. In case you've experimented with staring at a visual object, a "kasina", for tens of minutes, I bet you got similar effects, plus the physical effects of tears and, um, mucus from your nostrils, so there it's obvious when you're straining too hard. With the sound (or any concentration object) it's similar. Straining, tensing up "around" the object.
What I've discovered to work for me in that case is to deliberately relax around the object. In the case of concentrating on the sound leading to tension in the head, it's relaxing the brows, face, ears (if you can wiggle your ears, you can relax them), neck... One way to do this is to imagine these regions to be warm, heavy, comfortable, sinking into something soft and nice such as a pillow or a foam bath or, in the case of the face, a nice warm drizzle from a generous shower (if you like that), and so on.
Here are some old threads about the "inner sound" or "Nada" or whatever you want to call it:
"Nada" SounPersistent and Loud Ringing in Ears Since Vipassana CourseSomething else you can do with the various experiences of the sound changing, losing it and so on: if you are into the maps&models, try to figure out which jhana/ñana these effects correnspond to! For example, "losing" the sound (or "place" where it is) might go into 3rd jhana or dissolution. With a meditation object as present and clear as the sound is to you, this game of "finding the landmarks" can be very useful and instructive. And fun!
I also like what another poster wrote about noting the sense of unease. Good practice!
Cheers,
Florian